middleclass/README.textile
2010-12-07 23:54:17 +01:00

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h1. MiddleClass
Lua OOP classes usually end being:
* multi-file libraries, too difficult to understand
* very small libraries, not very powerful
Middleclass attemps to be a mid-sized library (~120 lines of code, on a single file), with clean, easy to understand code, and yet powerful enough to be used in most cases.
h1. Documentation
See the "LÖVE wiki page":http://love2d.org/wiki/MiddleClass for examples & documentation.
h1. Features
* ~100 lines of code
* top-level Object class
* all methods are virtual
* instance.class returns the instance's class
* @Class.name@ returns the class name (a string)
* @Class.superclass@ returns its super class
* Subclassing:
** @class(name)@ creates a subclass of @Object@
** @class(name, Superclass)@ creates a subclass of the class @SuperClass@
** @SuperClass:subclass(name)@ also creates a subclass of the class @SuperClass@
* Instantiation:
** Classes can define an @initialize@ method for initializing new instances. They can accept an arbitrary number of params.
** Instances are created by doing @Class:new(params)@ or also @Class(params)@
** It is recommended to use the @super@ facility inside all defined initializers: @super.initialize(self, params)@.
* support for Lua metamethods: just define a method called @__tostring@, @__add@, etc. and your instances will be able to use it.
* Mixins:
** A very simple mechanism for sharing functionality among a group of classes that are otherwise non-related.
** Mixins are just simple lua tables with functions inside them.
** @Class:include(mixin)@ will copy the function definitions of @mixin@ to @class@
** If @mixin@ contains a function, called @included@, that function will be invoked right after the functions have been copied. It allows for modifying the class more profoundly.
* The function @instanceOf(class, instance)@ returns @true@ if @instance@ is an instance of the class @Class@
* The function @subclassOf(Superclass, Class)@ returns @true@ if @Class@ is a subclass of @SuperClass@
* The function @includes(mixin, Class)@ returns @true@ if @Class@ (or one of its superclasses) includes @mixin@.
* The @super@ facility, can be used inside a method to call the same method as it's implemented by the superclass: @super.methodName(self, params)@
Features left out:
* metaclasses
* classes are not Objects (instances are)
h1. Installation using git (recommended)
The easiest way is creating a clone using git:
<pre>
git clone git://github.com/kikito/middleclass.git
</pre>
This will create a folder called @middleclass@. You can require it using:
<pre>
require 'middleclass.init'
</pre>
If you have @?/init.lua@ included in your @package.path@ variable, you can remove the @.init@ part.
If you ever want to update middleclass, you can use the following commands:
<pre>
cd your/path/to/middleclass
git pull origin master
</pre>
Git will automatically update middleclass for you.
h1. Manual download
Middleclass can be directly downloaded using "the github downloader":https://github.com/kikito/middleclass/archives/master
You will not be able to get automatic updates with that method, but your folder size will be smaller.
As an alternative, you can directly download "middleclass.lua":https://github.com/kikito/middleclass/raw/master/middleclass.lua and "BSD-LICENSE.txt":https://github.com/kikito/middleclass/raw/master/BSD-LICENSE.txt and put them in your project.
In that case, you will have to require it doing something like this (will vary if you put middleclass.lua inside a folder):
<pre>
require 'middleclass'
</pre>
(This assumes you have @?.lua@ in your @package.path@, which is the default)
You will have to put BSD-LICENSE.txt somewhere in your folder, or copy-paste it inside of your own license.txt file.
h1. middleclass-extras
This library has a companion lib that adds a lot of interesting functionality to your objects. Give it a look at "middleclass-extras":https://github.com/kikito/middleclass-extras
If you are looking for @MindState@ (now called @Stateful@), it's over there, too.
h1. Specs
You may find the specs for this library in "middleclass-specs":https://github.com/kikito/middleclass-specs